The Best Gift of All
by LovelyMagickPegacorn
Summary: There's a box under her bed. It's not an expensive gift. In fact it cost nothing at all, and that's because it's priceless.


AN: Tomorrow (or today, or yesterday, or some other day) is Rachel Berry's birthday, and due to my desire to write again I decided to write a little something. I don't really know if the fandom has shrunk or anything since the show has finished and I don't know if many people, or anyone at all, will read this but if you do then thank you.

Anyway, this takes place in a slight AU of Season 1 in which Quinn moved in with Rachel after Sectionals. Enjoy!

* * *

It was the cold that had bothered her the most, and as she looked out onto the snowfall on the street Quinn couldn't help but remember having to sleep in her car. She had always assumed that the rejection from her parents would have been the worst but once it was all said and done her instinct of self-preservation took control. She worried most for her own well-being and that of her unborn child. A shrill cry rang out throughout the room almost as though Beth knew what her mother was thinking about.

Quinn stepped away from the window and went to check on her baby girl. She lifted her up from her crib and began gently rocking her back and forth. "Oh," she cooed. "It's okay, mommy's here." Luckily Beth was a typically well behaved and it didn't take long for Quinn to soothe her. Just as she settled Beth back down there was a light knock behind her. Quinn turned around and found Rachel standing in the doorway.

"Everything okay in here?" she asked just as she always would whenever she heard Beth cry. It warmed Quinn's heart to know how much she cared but she kept her face stoic so as not to give away too much emotion.

"She's fine; you know how she gets." Rachel giggled and nodded while Quinn felt her heart swell with warmth. Damn these feelings. "You know I'll find you if I need any help." With a small smile and a brief farewell Rachel decided to leave her be but not before tell Quinn that she'd be downstairs, just in case. She'd probably have thought it funny, how much things had changed in the past year, but of course plenty of things hadn't changed. Like the fluttering Quinn felt in the pit of her stomach whenever Rachel was around.

And with the holidays, as well as Rachel's birthday, just around the corner said fluttering only got worse. Last year not only had Quinn still been in denial but she was also just getting accustomed to living in the Berry household. Now, well now she had a far more stable home environment and she wanted to show her appreciation to the family that had taken her in; Rachel especially. And maybe she did have some… ulterior motives, or perhaps desires would have been a better word, because it wasn't like Quinn had any intentions of giving Rachel that gift.

It was a silly present anyway, although Rachel probably would like it, if it were given to her by the right person. Quinn was not that person. And unfortunately she didn't really have the time, or the money, to go out gift shopping. She frowned at the thought. "You wouldn't happen to have any bright ideas, would you?" Beth stared up at her mother with wide, confused eyes. "Yeah, didn't think so. Don't worry though; mommy will come up with something."

She picked Beth back up and headed downstairs to join the Berry family. Although they were quite a fast moving family, with many a thing to do, they always took the time to eat together in the morning and the evenings. They were already setting up breakfast and as Quinn had already fed Beth earlier she decided to drop Beth off in her playpen so that she could assist. The playpen had been carefully positioned so that it had a clear line of sight to the dining room table. Quinn made sure that she was in sight as well.

The Berry men weren't the best in the kitchen, a _skill_ which Rachel had picked up, but they had learned… or at least in terms of cooking bacon. It was all for her of course, they all had done so much for her. It had bothered her, still did, but mostly because the whole thing was so foreign to her. She was practically a part of the family. Although Quinn didn't really want to see herself as such because then Rachel would kind of be her sister and that would just make everything more confusing than it already was.

Quinn was done with confusing and so she focused on what to get Rachel. That was simple, if only relatively so. She just needed a bit of time and so after they all finished their meal she asked if Rachel could look after Beth while she went out. Her daughter had grown quite fond of Rachel. Sometimes it felt like she was more comfortable with her than her own mother. Rachel agreed of course. It was winter break and she was just going to practice anyway.

She drove to the mall with what little cash she had. With the holidays so near at hand the place was packed. It felt like a maze, one that had moving walls. Had Quinn still been pregnant she would have never gotten through the crowd. She browsed through store after store, searching high and low for the perfect gift.

Something Barbra Streisand related? No, too predictable.

Maybe a new microphone? No, too expensive.

Clothes? No, not special enough and could easily been seen as a critique on Rachel's wardrobe.

Underwear? Uh… definitely not.

A song? Maybe… that is if Quinn were an artistic songwriter. She was not. But then again if she was, Quinn couldn't help but think that any song she'd write would be highly transparent about her feelings. Yeah, that didn't seem like the best idea at all.

Another wasted day. It was discouraging, but Quinn did have a fallback plan, one which did not involve the box underneath her bed. No, instead it involved… clothes but not something that Quinn thought would look cute on Rachel but something more Rachel Berry-esque; this reindeer sweater with a complimentary plaid skirt and knee socks with a snowflake pattern. Okay, admittedly said outfit probably would look cute on Rachel.

"I guess it could work," Quinn said to herself, the smallest of smiles making its way onto her face. Yeah, maybe it could work. With a renewed sense of hope Quinn headed back home. She'd already been out for hours, and she also missed Beth. Quinn searched for her daughter the moment she entered the Berry household, finding her and Rachel up in her room, both of them sitting on the ground with a box sitting right beside them. Quinn stepped inside to pick up her daughter, instantly freezing when she noticed what said box was. She was about to retreat when Rachel turned her head towards her. "I can explain," Quinn said instantly.

"Okay." Rachel stood up with the letter in her hands. She held onto it tightly but not in a way that would damage the paper. Rachel gave it a glance before gesturing for Quinn to speak.

Quinn roughly cleared her throat. "Well, what I meant in that letter was that… you know, what with everything that you've done for me this past year I've- I'm quite grateful and… no, what I mean is that we've gotten really close recently. Almost like sisters and no, that's not it either. I…" She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Quinn wasn't ready, but it was now or never. "I like you Rachel, okay?"

"Okay."

"And you don't feel the same…"

"Quinn, it's not that. I-"

"No, it's okay," Quinn interrupted. She felt like crying and she just needed this conversation over before any tears burst out. "I didn't expect you to, and I wasn't even planning to give you that so… Can I just be alone for a bit?"

"Can I speak first?" With those chocolate colored eyes pleading with her Quinn couldn't find it in her to say no. She nodded and then turned her head slightly away from Rachel while defensively crossing her arms around her. "I don't feel that way now, but…" And Quinn knew what that but meant. "I used to." And it wasn't supposed to mean that. Her arms fell to her sides and Quinn looked back at Rachel. "I had the biggest crush on you since the moment I first saw you, but… things… happened and I realized that it was pointless to pursue you and so I stopped liking you." She took a pause, a dramatic one, which was unsurprising considering that she was Rachel Berry. "I just need some time to let this all sink in and for me to sort through my feelings."

"Okay."

"Okay."

And for once Quinn thought that maybe things would, in fact, be okay.

* * *

AN: I haven't written in a while and I would like to explain for those, if any, of you who are awaiting updates to other fics but I don't really want put all that in this fic. If you are interested and/or are curious then you can check my profile to get an idea of where my life is right now. Alternatively you can always PM me.

Again, thank you for reading!


End file.
